


What happens in Sin doesn't Stay in Sin

by Awesomemedic78



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Desna1, Enchanted Beauty, F/M, Gen, M/M, MrsPuppetEx, Nightmare Senshi (Saraphin), Pradeshverse, Sin is really New York and Vegas smooshed together, Therashea, This got an overhaul.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-08-07 22:27:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16417175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awesomemedic78/pseuds/Awesomemedic78
Summary: West Nitespring is a prosperous metropolitan city that has grown quickly in 20 years. It has its share of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Piper Hatchet is a poison mage/professor at the University of Sin. She is threatened by dark mage guild and drug lord for her sharp mind in alchemy. She is sent to Pelerno, Bosco where her father is living with her step-father. In her race for freedom from being hunted by drug lords and dark guilds she meets some interesting and open-minded mages at the White Sea guild





	1. Welcome to Sin

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second story I've written I wanted to do spin of it from the country if Sin. I do have Spanish throughout this work. I do not speak Spanish. I only translate it from Google. If it comes across as wrong I apologize in advance. But without the Spanish language, I feel that my characters wouldn't be as strong. Enjoy.  
> I did move this over from Fanfiction.net.
> 
> Thanks.  
> I don't own Fairy Tail or the Pradeshs. There are other characters that will be sprinkled throughout this story created by other authors. I have been granted permission to use them. A preemptive Thank you to Densa1, Nightmare Senshi (Saraphin), Enchanted Beauty (EB), Therashea, and MrsPuppetEx.

Welcome to Sin

West Nitespring is nestled on the southeast side of Sin. It started as a small seaport city but with time, it became a booming international harbor boosting trade from Minstrel, Midi, Enca, and Bellum. The government entered into trade agreement with Bosco to bring airships into the port of West Nitespring for trade from the countries further west such as Bosco, Fiore and Seven. With the booming trade industry and commerce, came tourism to the area. West Nitespring had grown from a small seaport to a sprawling metropolis over the span of twenty years.

Like every city, there were the growing pains a small seaport exporting raw materials for creating silks and cotton across Isghar to now boosting several different types of industry such as manufacturing company that make the silk, cotton, and blended fabrics. A growing chemical industrial is aiding the boom in the pharmaceutical companies in the city. With the growth in any city, there is the negative growth that happens. Human and drug trafficking are a major issue as well as the minor crimes like pickpocketing and assaults. West Nitespring being the largest international port to and from anywhere in Ishgar made it an ideal place for dark mage and non-mage guilds activity.

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Rain drizzled down on West Nitespring. Gray clouds hung low over the cityscape of the skyscrapers of the commercial district. Typical spring weather on the south side of Sin’s peninsula, weather pushed in from the west off the sea bringing moist air and rains with it. Rain or shine, it didn’t matter to Piper. She was up at 0600, coffee made, put into a thermos, put into her back pack, hair braided and up in a bun, jogging shoes on and out the door for her run to the University. She remembered her light hoodie this time. Placed her earbuds in her ears and started jogging toward downtown where The University of Sin was located.

Piper enjoyed jogging to the university. It gave her thirty minutes of no students, no teacher aides, and no other professors talking to her. She enjoyed teaching biochemistry and toxicology especially when it involved venom of reptiles and arachnids. She was fascinated on how the venom affected the human body and how a poison mage could manipulate it to affect others. She was no herpetologist but she wasn’t just a fan girl. Her studies required samples of venom for test. Some professors liked to call her an alchemist since she was able to manipulate poisons and toxins to either be used medicinally or increase it deadliness by tenfold. She’d be lying if she didn’t say she had multiple job offers from big pharmaceutical companies in Sin or big time drug lords that are based out of Pergrande or Bellum. She’s even had dark guild try to bring her into the fold. She always turned them down. She wasn’t in this for money, the betterment f the human race, or whatever the hell dark guilds were in it for, resurrection of dark wizards, not her cup of tea.

She just wanted to study her hypotheses, prove theories, play with her snakes and spiders, and maybe one day find Mr. Right. At least that what most girls wanted, Piper had found plenty of Mr. Wrongs and Mr. Right-Nows. She would meet guys and once they found out she was actually an intelligent woman and had a large terrarium in her apartment, they bolted never to be heard of again. She did meet this one guy. He was pretty cool. Smart challenged her mind, body built by the Gods. He was a seith mage. His eyes were a beautiful amethyst purple with those concentric circles. Her brother, Riko, found out about him and she never seen him again.

Piper reached the university. She started her cool off walk toward her office. The rain had let up half through her run. Her pack dried a bit during the run. She hoped her other clothes wouldn’t be soaked. She entered the Science Building, hustled into her office to get her wet clothes off and get prepared for her first class of the day.

Piper’s office was a typical office. She had a desk in the corner that she had a few papers stacked up on and a filing cabinet that might have stuff in it. It was older than she was. She kept most of her class lectures on her Lpad and laptop. She was young for a professor at the age of 26, but she pushed herself hard. She loved what she studied and didn’t feel like it was tedious when she was a student. Mom and Dad always told her and her brother “If you do something you love it will never feel like work”. Piper frowned at thinking about her parents. She stripped off her wet top and jogging pants, traded them for black loose slacks, and a light blue loose blouse that buttoned to just above her bust. She had a silver necklace with a pendant that had a little silhouette of a fox sitting with its big bushy tail behind it. Riko got it for her for her 24th birthday. He told her to think of him when she wore it. He tried several times over the years to get her to join his guild. Even told her they took non-mages, she would be a great asset with her smarts, as he called it. As she thought about the entire conversation she rolled her eyes and took a look at herself in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable for her day worth of lectures and lab time. She walked out of her office locked the door and went to the lecture hall.

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It had been a long day and Piper was so ready to go home and soak in her tub until she was a prune. Her back ached from being bent over a microscope and laptop. She would normally job home but she was exhausted more than usual. She entered her office and her Lphone went off in a special ring tone for her dad. “Hello, Papa.” She said with a drained tone in her voice.

“Buenas noches, sweetheart. You sound exhausted. Did you remember to eat today between your classes and snakes?” Oscar Hatchet asked his daughter. He was always concerned about his daughter. He didn’t think that she should be living on her own and should be married with at least one grandchild for him to spoil by now. Although, he learned the hard way not to push his hard headed daughter. He learned to respect that she was very capable to live on her own and make her own decisions. He was very proud of her accomplishments, PhD in biochemistry and head of her department at The University of Sin, his Alma mater. He just worried now that she would forget to eat and care for own self as she does her little pets.

“Papa I’m fine. Just a little tired. Yes, I did eat lunch today. I haven’t had supper yet but I’m meeting Riko for that.” Piper soothed her father’s worries. She knew he worried about her not eating. She did sometimes forget. Riko always had dinner with her though.

“Muy bien. Let you brother know I called and that I pray for him all the time. I know his work is dangerous as a guild mage.” Oscar told his daughter.

“Papa, you can call Riko yourself you know.” Piper told her father with a slight annoyance.

“Yes, Piper I know I can call your brother but that Doesn’t mean he will answer his phone when I do call.”

Piper sighed, “I’ll talk to him about it. So why did you call me Papa. It’s not like you to call without a reason.”

“Well, sweetheart. Lucas and I wanted you to come visit us in Magnolia. We have gotten settled and Lucas would love to meet his beautiful and intelligent step daughter.”  Oscar asked with a hint of hope. He knew the divorce between Georgia and himself didn’t sit well with his children even though they were adults when it happened. Of his children, Piper was more open to his relationship with Lucas than Riko. The divorce was amicable. Georgia was still his best friend. Oscar himself wouldn’t have come to term of being gay without her help. Georgia was very supportive. Most wives would have been angry and vindictive, but not his Georgia.

“Papa, I would to come visit you and Lucas but…I can’t…”

“…leave your work or your little pets. Piper of course you can. I know you have teacher aides that can feed you little friends that eat what once a week and you do all your work on your laptop. Just come visit your Papa. Maybe we can find you a new pet for your personal terrarium?” Oscar called her out. He knew his daughter was married to her work. It was one of the many reasons she was still single.

“Fine Papa. I’ll come to Magnolia.” Piper finally gave in. “Give me two weeks so I can make arrangements.”

“Of course. Lucas will be excited to know that he gets to meet you finally. You will like him.” Piper could hear the smile in her father’s voice. They ended the call. Pipers phone went off again but it was a text message from Riko.

BigBro: _Running l8 4 dinner. Meet me at usual place?_

Piper: _Sure :( order same thing? And how late?_

BigBro: _Uh…1 hr…tops no frowny faces. Job is running over_

Piper: _kk I’ll be w8ing_

Piper stuffed her phone into her pack slung it over her shoulder, checked her babies real quick and left for the day. Piper had to kill an hour so she wonder over to the local pet shop to see if they had any pinkies for her snakes and crickets for her spiders.

The little bell dinged as she entered Jeff’s Pet Emporium. “Good evening Piper. Are you here for some yummies for your babies?” an older man asked from behind the counter.

“Hi Jeff. Yeah I’m getting low and need some more pinkies and crickets.” Piper greeted Jeff with a smile. As Jeff went to the back to get her order, she walked around and looked at the puppies kittens and birds. Adorable little fuzzies that made most people go ‘aww’, Piper wondered away from those and made her way to the reptiles. Jeff had his usual constrictors, lizards, frogs and toads. She slowly worked her way down the line of glass cases when her eye caught something she had only seen in books. A small white egg with small black swirls on the upper edge that to the untrained layperson would have just been wrote off as a defect in the eggshell, but to a trained eye, it indicated the species type. Piper was ecstatic over the find. She kept her excitement contained when Jeff returned with her order. She asked the older graying haired man, “Jeff how much for that egg in the case?”

“Uh…the egg…I just got that yesterday. I’m not even sure what it is. What would you give me for it, Piper? You know these things better than I do.” The man offered with a smile. Piper was his best reptile customer.

“Hmm…I’ll give you 1000 Jewel for the egg, Jeff. Fair?” Piper offered.

“Sounds good to me. I’ll get it prepared for you to take with you.”

Piper left the pet shop happier than she had been in a while. She was so excited that she found a Havati flying serpent egg. She was curious as to how Jeff came across it since that species is only indigenous to Bosco and not just Bosco but an island in the Great Grass Sea. These serpents were venomous. They were beautiful and a revered serpent by a once thriving clan. The literature reports that they even have wings and their poison is highly toxic. Piper was so lost in her thoughts she almost forgot where she was going. She adjusted her pack and headed towards Frank’s Crab Shack. It started drizzling again as she made her way there.

The hostess seated her in her and Riko usual table. Their waitress took her order which was always the same. Riko finally showed up fifteen minutes later than he said he would.

“There’s my beautifully weird sister.” Riko said as he draped his arms around her shoulder and gave her a quick hug and peck on the cheek. He sat himself down in his seat. It was a corner seat where he could see the entire restaurant while they ate and talked. Even since he was kidnapped when they were teenagers and taken to Pergrande. Piper isn’t sure to this day how Riko got out of that mess and made it back home. “How was school?” He asked as he took a long drink of his ice water.

“Uh…how about we start with why you have a black eye and busted lip…I thought you stayed out of the hand to hand shit?” Piper gave him a hard concerned look at her brother. She knew he tried to stay out of the hand-to-hand combat because he was a gun quip mage. He would rather shot a target from far off than be up and personal. She narrowed her yellow eyes on her brother’s identical ones.

“Yeah…well…you see there was this mage…and he decided he wanted to…uh…yeah…be in my personal space…but don’t worry sis he got a good look at my twin ladies. Hehe” Riko laughed darkly. His twin ladies were his twin Berettas he only pulled out in case he was in confined spaces. Otherwise, her brother uses a long range Remington with a scope. He keeps them all in his pocket dimension at fingers reach.

His smile of course disarmed her. She could never stay mad at him with his boyish smile. Piper just rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever. You’re alive. I ordered you’re regular seafood dish. Oh, Papa called he wants to talk to you…and uh…he wants me to come to Magnolia to meet Lucas.”

Riko stilled and looked up at his sister. He hated that their parents divorced. He felt like their father betrayed their mother even though they both explained that it wasn’t like that. Riko had a hard time accepting that his father was gay. “Uh…ok…you want me to feed your critters?”

“Yes…but that’s not why I’m tel…”

“I’m not talking about it Piper. Can we change the subject?”

“Sure”

Their food came and they ate in silence. When they finished, Riko paid for the food, “I want you to join the guild Piper. It would make things easier for me if you did. Sam has already approved you as a member and has a lab set up for you to move right in. You can teach there and do whatever you do with the backing of a legal guild. I don’t have to worry about drug lords and dark mage guilds abducting you. Think about it ok.” He picked up his duster and left.

“Well there is one of the things that’s bothering him out in the open. He thinks I’m going to be abducted by drug lords and dark mages.” Piper said to no one with a sigh. She was always so frustrated with her brother. He was a closed up person unless it involved the guild, guns, or him shooting things.

Piper got back to her apartment before a downpour started. She was still thinking about what her brother said. She made her mind up. She was going to talk to Papa about it and think it over the next two weeks. She hurried into her apartment to get her newly prized possession into one of her terrariums. Since she was going to be gonna for two weeks she had to clean her cages and milk her babies. She didn’t keep constrictors. She only owned the venomous variety at home and milked them every three weeks. She had an empty area that she set up for the same conditions as the Great Grass Sea and gently placed her egg. Now she just waited.

After all her babies were taken care of, she went to her bathroom and started the water with her favorite bubble bath scent lemongrass. It was so refreshing and invigorating. She loved the scent of lemons in general. She cleaned with lemons in her apartment. It was a natural cleaning and didn’t harm her little scaly friends. Piper checked her water temp, disrobed and slide down in the water. She let out a huge sigh as the almost too hot water warmed her to the bones.

An hour later, Piper got out of the water, toweled off, and wrapped her deep purple hair up in the towel. She put her lotion on her tan skin and pulled on one of Riko’s old t-shirts that was three sizes too big on her petite frame. She walked out into toward her bedroom but noticed a hint of cigarette smoke in the air. Piper didn’t smoke. Her blood ran cold and fear gripped her. She got her body to move toward her bedroom. She scrambled for her nightstand but the handgun that Riko gave her was not there. She heard a deep male voice laugh. “Oi, cutie. Don’t boddah for dat pea shootah. We’s already got it whiles yous was in da tub. Aren’t wes gentlmenly? Ha Ha.”

Piper slammed her bedroom door. She was breathing hard trying not to panic but it was difficult considering there was at one man in her apartment that she didn’t let in. “Who the fuck are you and why the hell are you in my apartment?” She yelled through the door.

“Bossman wanted us to come and change your mind about coming to work for ‘im. He said to tells you he’ll give you whatever you want. He needs a good alchemist or something like that. Besides, you’re a pretty dame too. Yous look good on boss’s arm. Ha ha look at me playing matchmatcher.”

“I don’t work for drug lords or dark guilds. I work for myself. You can tell your boss that. I’ve turned down all the drug lords. At least they’ve had the decency to NOT break into my apartment and scare the shit out of me.” Piper yelled trying to hide the shaking in her voice. All of that is true. Drug lords have always been after her to design drugs for them. They are usually polite despite their volatile nature. They like to keep their candy makers happy. This is a first, breaking into her apartment.

“Bossman says yous say that. He says he’s not taking no for an answer this time…” the laughter in the voice disappeared.

Piper started panicking. She needed to get out now. She ran to her bedroom window and shimmied down the fire escape in the rain no shoes and only a t-shirt and panties. She started running. Her mind was reeling of thought of fleeing. She was able to get a few blocks was before her mind could think a bit clearer. She needed to get to Riko’s guild, The Red Foxes. She knew the guild was a few miles from her apartment to the west. It was dark and raining. She started hearing male voices shouting. She took off running toward the guild. She knew Riko would keep her safe. She wasn’t a mage and how was she supposed to stay safe of anyone could just break into her apartment with three deadbolts and a security alarm without her knowing it. She knew there had to be a mage among them. She ran faster, her lungs burning, her legs burning. She saw the guildhall. She rushed through the courtyard and started banging on the door. She didn’t have a guild emblem so the doors wouldn’t open for her after hours. She kept banging until the doors opened and she spilled into the main hall soaking wet with bloody bare feet.

Nick heard the banging on the door and wondered who the hell was banging on the door this late. He opened the door and as soon as he did a wet bloody shaking purple mess fell into the main hall. He instantly recognized that purple mane anywhere, Piper Hatchet. “What the fuck Piper?! You’re soak and wet in just a t-shirt and your feet are bleeding! What happened? Do I need to pulled Riko back from his mission?”

Piper had to get her brain out of panic mode to recognize the blond man that was picking her up off the floor, “Nick! Oh Gods they broke into my apartment and were gonna take me to go make their drugs and my babies are there and they got through my deadbolts and security system and took my gun that Riko gave me and…and…and…” Piper just broke down into sobs as Nick carried her to the guild infirmary so he could look at her feet. She clung to him for warmth and safety. Just knowing that someone she knew she felt safe and started relaxing but her mind wouldn’t stop reeling.

Nick placed Piper on the cot and looked over her feet. They were dirty swollen and had several abrasions but nothing that needed to be sewn up. He cleaned them up and wrapped them. He was a water mage that used his magic for healing. His magic healed deep wounds deadly wounds. For non-lethal injuries he was stuck with traditional methods. His healing wasn’t as powerful as a dragon slayer’s healing that he has read about in magazine and books. He was a bit envious of Wendy Marvell and Cristoff Pradesh. They could heal would so completely, there was no scars. He wasn’t a shabby just a different school of healing. He kept his guild mates alive to get to the hospital more often than not.

Nick was able to get Piper settled down warm and dry clothing. He wouldn’t push her for any more information. He had enough to tell him what had happened. Riko told him that she would get offers all the time from pharmaceutical companies’ dark guilds and drug lords. She always turned them down without issues until now. Someone wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

 


	2. Why does it have to be Snakes?

Why did it have to be snakes?

 

Sam was woken up just after midnight by commotion in the guild’s infirmary. Who the hell is making all this racket in the infirmary at this time of night he though. He started down the hall when the noise settled down. He heard Nick talking, a woman crying, Riko cursing. This caused a surge of protectiveness to fill Sam because he recognized the woman's voice. He knew it was Piper Hatchet. He heard everything through her blubbering and manic regurgitation of what happened to her in her apartment. Anger burnt away some of his natural urge of protectiveness. He needed to know who had the balls to break into her apartment. He made sure that she had a very sophisticated security system in place. He knew it was hard to disarm without the code because the mage that created it was in his guild. She was a tech mage.

 

Tommy was not only able to write code for existing technology but she was able to create new technology. Sam grinned to himself over the fact he was able to persuade Tommy to come to Sin from Bosco before she was recruited by the White Sea. Sam knew that Kaleb Pradesh was more than just a Wizard Saint Mindbender. He knew he liked to tinker with tech magic as well. Kaleb created their whole guild electronic system. Sam had sweetened the pot for Tommy to come to Sin with the fact that Tommy would have free rein over the Foxes Tech department as head of the department. He picked up his cell and called Tommy.

 

His call was answered immediately, "Sam, what's up? It's kinda late for you to be calling me. What happen…did you get a virus from a porn site?" Tommy snickered. There was club music playing the background.

 

Sam chuckled, "No but I'm about to ruin your buzz and probably your night…You know that security system I had you put in for Riko's sister?" Sam asked with seriousness in his voice.

 

"Yeah what about it? She lock herself out or something?" Tommy held a hint of laughter in her voice.

 

"No someone broke into her apartment, cracked your system to do it…while she was in the place."

 

"The fuck?! I'll be right there. Had to be a mage. Any regular non-magical hacker couldn't break my code." Tommy was fuming and her buzz was fading. She paid her tab at the bar and headed to the guild.

 

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By the time the sun rose in the morning, Sam had most of the information he needed to start looking for the mages that broke into Piper's apartment. He had already sent the most of what he knew out to his "Eyes and Ears" division of the guild. They were his spies and moles. They were a mixture of mages and non-mages depending on the situation. He had them everywhere in West Nitespring, including The Great Tribune. The Great Tribune was the governing body of Sin. It worked like a large council then broke down into smaller parts, economics, military, legislation for magic and non-magic and so on. Sam liked to keep an eye on them because sometimes the dirtiest group could be the government itself.

 

Sam took a deep breath and walked to the infirmary where Piper was resting. Nick had told him she would recover physically, but she would have one wicked scar on her upper arm. The rope burns would fade. Psychologically, Nick said she would need counseling. Sam knew she was a tough cookie for being a non-magical human. She was the youngest in her class and graduated with honors with a PhD in biochemistry and toxicology at the age of 23. Later she received a bachelors in Herpetology.  Sam watched both her and Riko grow up at the Red Fox guild. Both their parents were mages, Oscar and Georgina Hatchet.

 

Oscar was a Reflector mage and Georgina was a gun quip mage. Oscar was able to keep Georgina protected while she was able to get some impossible and impressive shots off while being under the pressure of a hail of magic or bullets. Riko followed in his mother's footsteps as a gunner but Piper never developed an magical abilities. That didn't matter to anyone. Both children were loved just the same and treated the same; just the training had to vary a little bit. No one ever thought the children that born in the guild without magic were weak. They were all treated the same as much as possible.

 

Classes at the guild varied somewhat for the non-magical children so that they could better protect themselves. They got really creative at it as well. Piper was a little book worm with her deep purple braids and odd fascination with snakes. She would come home with little wiggly snakes in her pockets and dirt all over her with a huge smile on her face.

 

Riko was the typical older brother, watched over Piper, teased her, kept boys at bay which drove her crazy. He disappeared when he was eighteen for almost a year and came back a changed person. He refused to talk about it other than he was in Pergrande not by choice. Sam nor his parents ever pushed him. They figured he would come to them when he was ready. That's been almost ten years now.

 

Sam entered the infirmary room and saw Piper sitting up on the bed talking with Nick through a swollen right eye and bruised jaw line with swollen lips. Sam cleared his throat, "So Nick, I see our sleeping beauty is awake and doing well." He smiled at Piper.

 

"Morning Sam. Yeah her injuries are looking better thanks to an awesome water mage that likes to hang out around here." Nick smirked at Sam and Piper. "I'll be off. Everything looks good Piper. You can go when you're ready. I'm heading to the beach to catch some waves or make them. See ya girlie." Nick hugged the purplette on the bed and shook hands with his guild master.

  


"Yeah and when you see that water mage let him know he has some job assignments waiting on him before the call of the ocean. Later man Thanks for taking care of her." Sam laughed as he shook Nick's hand.

 

Piper watched the two men exchange their pleasantries. She thought about what Riko told her last night. The offer from Sam to join the guild so that she could be safe. She thought she was safe. Safe from the 'bad guys', the darkness in the world once she closed and locked her door and turned on that security system that Riko insisted that she have Tommy put in. She knew that no one could crack that system, at least that's what she though. She was lulled into complacency. This drug lord was not taking NO for answer, but she didn't know which one it was. She got offers all the time. It's not like she kept a log of who propositioned her. Maybe she needed to join the guild to be safe and maybe she needed to get out of Sin for a little bit. Stay with Papa in Perleno until Sam could get things settled down here in West Nitespring.

 

Piper and most of the kids that grew up in the guild saw Sam as the uncle that spoiled you by letting you stay up too late or letting you drink that beer when no one else was looking but don't ever cross the man. He could deal out appropriate punishment. Piper looked over at the auburn haired man, "Sam I'm sorry for all of this…"

 

Sam hugged the petite woman as if she was his own daughter, "Stop that. You don't need to apologize. You know that this door is always open to you. Of course it would have literally been open to you if you would stop being so stubborn and let me put the guild emblem on you." He teased her with a smile that crinkled his eyes. "I know you like your independence and don't want to rely on anyone blah blah blah. I've heard it how many times now? I've told you, you have an standing offer to become a guild member. Hell, I'll move all your little friends here. I have room on the fourth floor. You can have the whole fourth floor if you want it to do your work and whatever it is you do with it. I don't want to stifle you. You know you would have your life with the extra protection of a guild backing you."

 

Piper sudden started crying at the thought of what did happen and what could have happened, “Sam they killed all my babies! All of them! Right in front of me! I couldn’t do anything! They were sending a message. I killed one of them though with my special bullets.” Piper cringed.

 

"Shh…its ok…you're safe now…you know I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I’m glad you could defend yourself." He tried to soothed her.

 

"Papa wants me to come to Bosco next week for a visit. I think I might go early after what happened. Can I ask you a favor to move my apartment to the guild? I think I need to get out of the country for a bit to somewhere where no one knows me."

 

"I would love to get you moved to the guild. I'll tell your mom and brother when they get back from Midi. They are out there hunting some troublesome monster. You know how they love hunting."

 

"Sam…uh…do you care…to…uh…go to my apartment with me? I know your busy…" Piper asked. She felt like a little girl again asking Sam something so simple but she was still shook up.

 

"Absolutely kiddo." Sam said. He stood up and walk over to the door. "I'll let you get dressed. I think Nick left some clothes here for you. See you downstairs."

 

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Piper felt panic rise in up in her chest and squeeze her heart. Her breathing started to quicken, sweat broke out over her back chest and face. She felt like she was going to vomit.

Sam sense the change in Piper and steadied her. He didn't push her. He let her lead him at her own pace. He knew she had to face this on her own terms and he knew she would.

 

After a few minutes of mental pep talking, Piper entered her apartment building and went up to her floor. Sam took the lead once they reached her apartment. The door was slightly ajar. He went in and requiped his long sword and armor quickly waiting for someone to attack. When no one attacked he requipped his gear back. He was once again standing in his causal faded blue jean and black tank top.

 

Piper almost started crying again when she saw that her apartment was trashed. Everything that she worked so hard for; her photos, furniture and her terrariums; broken smashed slashed. It was a message sent loud and clear that NO was not being taken. She knew they even killed her pets, every one of them dead. The only one they didn't touch was her little havati egg because they didn't know what it was. Tears were running down her face. She didn't care about her personal belongings they could be replaced, but her babies they were living creatures that weren't hurting anyone. She hoped one of them was able to bite one of those motherfuckers before they killed them.

 

With her tear-stained face she went to her kitchen and was able to find a plastic bowl with a resealable lid. She went to her egg, scooped up some of the sand, and carefully placed her precious egg in it. It looked like it was ready to hatch anytime. She went to her fridge and grabbed some of the frozen pinkies to take with her. She then went to what was left of her bedroom and grabbed a few changes of clothes that wasn't destroyed. She looked at Sam with rage in her eyes "Find who did this Sam, make them pay. My babies didn't deserve this. They must have came back for the one that I killed." Piper said with a tight voice.

 

"I will Piper. The Foxes will find them and we will take care of them. I promise." Sam said with a tense voice. He hated to see her upset and he had to quell his own rage as they left her apartment.

 

They returned to the Red Fox guild compound. They walked through the manicured courtyard that opened to the sidewalk. The green mages kept it beautifully maintained. The building itself looked like the other multi-story glass building around it. They entered in the motion detector sliding doors that opened up into a large very open ground floor modern décor with large pieces of artwork hanging on the walls, lacrima screens showing directions to visitors. Several people moving here and there were going on about their duties at the guild. Many waved at Sam. The Red Foxes weren't a large guild but it wasn't small either. Sam had to manage 300+ members with new members every week including recruitment all across Ishgar.

 

West Nitespring was an international trading port in Sin, Sam liked to keep the guild very diverse. He escorted Piper to his office. There he knew she would have privacy to talk to Oscar without eavesdropping spies that were most likely all around where she was living at to showdown her movements.

 

"Hello, Sam…" the reflector mage started with a hint of confusion in his voice at his former guild master and old friend calling him on her personal cell.

 

"No, Papa…It's me…Piper…" Piper started but just started sobbing at having to relive what happened at her apartment. Sam gently took the phone from Piper. "Oscar, she needs to come stay with you for a while. Is that fine with you and Lucas?" Sam asked after he recapped everything that had happened since he last spoke with his daughter on the her phone.

 

"Sam, please don't let her come alone…" Oscar pleaded to his old friend.

 

"Oscar, you know me better than that. She will be protected. She doesn't have much." Sam reassured him that Piper would be protected and reiterated that she only had one bag of clothing and her little egg left of everything she owned.

 

"I'm not worried about material items Sam. Just make sure my daughter gets to Pelerno unharmed. I know it is a 4 day trip by air ship to White Sea and then a couple hours by train. Do you mind letting Georgie know what happened when she returns from Midi?"

 

"Of course because I'm gonna have a gunner pissed the fuck off when she get back. I'm gonna have to keep her focused on something." Sam smirked as he said that. "Not to mention I already have some angry Foxes on the trail of these dirt bags anyway. No one hurts family, you know that Oscar."

 

There was a knock on the door and Sam bid them entrance as he finished his phone call. Tommy sashayed in with her magenta streaked chocolate colored hair braided into twin tails down her back and a black gothic Lolita dress with her combat boots. She didn't wear the traditional knee high socks with this outfit. She might have remembered to put socks on with her boots, just her long tan legs that her Boscan heritage blessed her with. Her lipstick matched her hair. She smiled sadly at Sam and shook her head before Piper turned around. "Tommy! Oh my Gods! I haven't seen you in forever!" Piper jumped up and hugged the woman.

 

"How's my ultra-smart chica doing" Tommy grinned widely as she hugged Piper and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead leaving a lipstick mark where she kissed her. Tommy pulled her back, "You did get the guild emblem on you right, girlie? I can't have you running around here without it now." The brunette looked at her and then at Sam.

 

"Hold on to your boots, Tommy. I just got off the phone with Oscar and you came in. I was just about to ask Piper where she wanted it at." Sam said in a light hearted tone. "Piper where do you want the emblem at?"

 

"Uh…my left forearm, please, in black." Piper asked as she held out her left forearm.

 

"Alright now down to business," Tommy said as she pulled out a small case. "This my little girlie is your new laptop, tablet and Lphone. Custom made by me, of course. I created it. Its untraceable so you can do your work and studies from anywhere you can get Wifi to get on the mageweb. I'd tell you how but I'd probably confused you just as if you told me about biochemistry and poisons. Now that is all I have unless Sam has anything else, our flight is leaving in an hour; I'm going with you to Bosco along with Nick."

 

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Piper was having conflicted feeling waiting at the air dock for their airship to be ready. She was angry that she was being forced to leave her home country because her life was threatened. She knew that she wouldn't be killed. She was too important for that. She would be used to make designer drugs that would keep the druggies coming back for more, chasing that higher high. She knew as long as she did that the drug lords would keep her like a queen, a queen in a gilded cage. She wouldn't be free to live, to shop, to see her family, to find the love of her life. That is what made her angry.

 

She was also feeling sadness and loss. She lost her apartment, her life, her independence that she worked so hard to maintain, to prove she was able to do it all on her own without anyone to help her. Sam had told her no one thought she was weak or a failure because she was moving into the Foxes guildhall. He told her everyone knew she was strong enough to survive on her own but she needed to be smart and see the bigger picture. The offers from legitimate companies will still come in, but the dark guilds and the drug lords are starting to get braver. The proof was all her babies were dead, except her little egg. That was where her sadness and loss hurt the most. Living things were murdered because of her.

 

She was happy though she was going to be able to go see her Papa and Lucas. She was always Papa's girl. What little girl wasn't a papa's girl. When Papa had told Riko and her that he was gay, it didn't really surprise her really. He would always help her with her hair and make-up and other things most mothers would do with their daughters. Her mother would do things with her too but not like her Papa. When they sat her and Riko down when she was 20 and Riko 22, told them that they were divorcing amicably. Piper was very supporting of both her parents and gave them both hugs. Riko said nothing and left after he asked if that was all? Piper tried to talk to Riko about but he wouldn't and changed subjects. Papa met Lucas a few years ago while Lucas was on holiday in Sin. They finally were married last year and moved to Bosco where Lucas was from. Piper was so happy now she had Papa and a step Papa.

 

"Penny for your thoughts, serpent girl…" Nick asked as he draped his long tan arms over her shoulders.

 

"Pfft, don't call me that. I know you loved them too. Deep down you were a snake fan, water boy." Piper deflected as she laughed and shoved Nick's arm off her. "I was just thinking about them anyway…" She drifted off.

 

Nick grabbed her up in a hug. She was right deep down her loved her 'babies' as she called them. He wouldn't handle them like she did. He knew one bite from any of them and he was a dead man, even with his healing powers.

 

His healing worked like a combat medic, keeping people alive until the major healers got there or the trauma surgeons. That is what Sin had to offer, highly trained and specialized surgeons and doctors. Healing magic was rare, Nick was lucky have learned how to use his water magic to manipulate the water in the blood to keep it where it was supposed to be. That was the extent of his 'healing'. This is why Sin had such a huge pharmaceutical base and hi-tech hospitals. The medical community in Sin were experts in healing mages and non-mages alike. The medical professionals were looking in better ways to manage the magic deficiency disease that afflicted mages.

 

"Where are my hugs, water boy?" Tommy pouted as she pulled a sucker from her mouth that made a pop. She loved to tease Nick about his hugs. Tommy grew up in Pelerno, Bosco. She moved to Sin after she graduated from the University. She was full-blooded Boscan woman who enjoyed her pleasures. She had her sudepah training at age 14. She wasn't clan borne, so she didn't sport any tattoos. She did love to get physical attention from Nick though. Tommy sidled up to the two hugging and hugged them both. She kissed Piper on the check leaving her signature lipstick mark. When Piper let go to wipe the magenta lipstick off her cheek, Tommy snagged Nick into a lip lock would have left a normal man sagging, but Nick was Boscan as well and used to Tommy.

 

Nick wasn't born in Bosco. He was born here in Sin but he was raised Boscan all the same. His parents even had a sudepah flown in for his training. Unlike Tommy, he was clan born from Clan Felarnas. His parents left the clans years ago for Sin. His mother feared for their safety because her aunt was a seith mage as well as his cousin. His cousin Tess was seeing a shadow mage. Nick's parents just had a bad feeling about it and left for Sin, but raised him as if they were in Bosco no the less.

 

"OK, you two, don't make me get a hose. We are in public so if your done…" Piper cleared her throat.

 

Tommy let Nick go and looked at Piper, "Puh-lease, chica. Don't knock it til you try it. I'm sure Nickie here would get you all wet and let you play on the slip and slide. When was the last time you got laid anyway? Christmas party two years ago?" Tommy teased with a giggle.

 

"Tommy really? I had work to do and I had my experiments and I had to take care of my babies…" Piper rolled her eyes at Tommy with a burning red face. "Anyway, I think it's time to board isn't it…" Trying hard to change the subject.

 

They boarded the airship, many people getting on as many people were getting off. Four days to get to Bosco then an hour on a train into Pelerno. Piper walked to their cabin. She entered the modest cabin with two beds and a bathroom. It was decorated in simple colors of grays and blues. She set her bag down and pulled out the little plastic container to check on the precious contents. She opened the lid slowly. Her yellow eyes were the size of dishes at the site see saw in the container.

 

There in the little bowl on the bit of sand she had gathered was a little maroon colored ball of scales. She saw the tiny little head in the middle of the coil. It's little tongue darted in and out. Piper was over the moon that her little havati serpent egg had survived and hatched. She started digging through her bag again and found the container that held the pinkies. She put one in the bowl very carefully and returned the lid. She knew the little snake would eat when it was ready.

 

The following day, Piper was content sitting and surfing the web researching her little baby. She named her little baby Flick and he was not like her regular snakes she owned in the past. He was active and loved to slither up her arms and burrow in her hair when she pulled her purple tresses up in loose styles. He never tried to bite her. Her research on Flick was limited. There wasn't much other than some myths about them being sentient beings. Some myths said they were worshipped as Gods of the wind. Piper was a scientific woman. All she had was science in this magical world. She couldn't wave her hand and something wondrous happen, talk to animals, hell she couldn't even protect herself with magic. That is why she carried a side piece on her thigh. She closed her laptop, made sure Flick was tuck securely in her hair, and left her cabin.

 


End file.
